Huntley starts planning long-term road projects

Long-term realignment work would widen eastern stretch of Kreutzer Road

By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO -
sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com

Aug. 10, 2014

HUNTLEY – After extending Kreutzer Road west earlier this year, Huntley officials turned their focus eastward last week by asking for federal dollars to help fund a $6 million realignment of the local road.

The long-term project would primarily widen the eastern portion of Kreutzer Road, between Route 47 and Haligus Road, to a three-lane cross section and reconfigure a small bridge that crosses over a creek.

Officials increasingly have done maintenance work on the eastern stretch of Kreutzer Road, while the bridge has been a frequent cause of car crashes, Village Manager Dave Johnson said.

“There’s an alignment issue that we would like to straighten out,” Johnson said. “It gets a significant amount of traffic, with residents going out to Huntley-Dundee Road or St. Mary Church, or Wing Pointe [subdivision] residents getting on Route 47.”

Construction on the project likely won’t start until five years from now since officials have to try and secure funding for the $6.03 million estimated price tag. Village Board members started the lengthy process this week after submitting a proposal for $1.5 million in federal funds.

Trustees made the request with the McHenry County Council of Governments, which now will spend the upcoming months ranking various road projects from area municipalities before seeking federal funding.

If the Kreutzer Road project ranks high enough, the village could see the funding in 2017, 2018 or 2019.

In the meantime, village officials will try and work with a nearby developer on lowering the village’s $4.53 million estimated share of the project, Johnson said.

“We don’t have those dollars today,” he said. “If the developer doesn’t step up, it’s going to be every bit of five years before construction starts.”

PAR Development agreed in the late 2000s to widen a portion of the road to a five-lane cross section, as part of an annexation deal that slated hundreds of acres south of Kreutzer Road for development.

The developer has yet to make the road improvements, Johnson said.

The village has successfully formed partnerships in the past. Officials and Centegra Health System agreed last year to share costs to reconfigure a portion of Reed Road for the new Huntley hospital.

Aside from the multimillion dollar realignment, the village asked the county’s council of governments for federal funds to resurface Haligus Road from Algonquin Road south to Huntley-Dundee Road.

The $675,600 project would require a $151,120 contribution from the village, according to cost estimates.